


rising dough

by okayantigone



Series: eat their young - Fox!Riko AU [4]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Apologetic non-apology, Eating Disorders, Fox Riko AU, Gen, M/M, Muffins, Past Abuse, passive aggressive baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 12:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11402328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okayantigone/pseuds/okayantigone
Summary: Kevin butters Riko's muffins - no, really. And they also have an important conversation about being at PSU and what it would mean for their career.





	rising dough

“Is the food supposed to be moving?” Kevin asks, looking doubtfully through the oven door. 

Riko kneels on the floor and peers in. 

“Of course it is, Kevin,” he says slowly, like Kevin is being thick on purpose. “It’s muffins. They’re supposed to rise.” 

“Right.” says Kevin. The muffins are spilling over their allotted nests much more richly than they did on the cooking show Riko was following along. 

“Do you think I may have overdone it with the baking soda?” Riko asks doubtfully, rising up, and moving past Kevin to clean up the counter. He picks up afer himself as always, trying to delete his presence from the suite he shares with Seth and Matt, forcing himself into invisibility. 

“Maybe,” Kevin allows, but he doesn’t want to be too hard on the muffins. It’s not their fault. No part of this mess is their fault. 

“Will you eat one?” Riko is not looking at him. 

“Sure,” Kevin says. His fingers twitch in their cast. “Will you?” 

Riko raises both eyebrows. “I made them,” he emphasizes, but it’s the kind of non-answer that Kevin has no intention of tolerating. Riko’s gotten better about his meals, even at the holding them down part. 

“Well will you eat one?” Kevin repeats? 

He;s used to Riko making meticulous dishes, following recipes to the dot only to immediately dump them in the trash as soon as they were done, and have a cup of tea instead. 

Riko swallows heavily, clenching his jaw. “Yes.” he says finally. “I’m supposed to take my meds with food.” he speaks quietly, voice dripping with resentment. 

It’s the first real thing he’s said to Kevin since they got here. 

“Do you think they’re working?” Kevin asks, finally. This is territory they haven’t broached. They only just started existing in rooms together again, without buffers to keep them apart from each other. 

“I don’t know.” Riko admits. He’s folding the dish towel to avoid looking at Kevin. “I don’t - I’m not as angry anymore. Or rather. I get angry, but it’s not - “ he gestures vaguely. “Like before.” 

“Like before.” Kevin echoes and moves his left hand behind his back out of habit. “So you think you’ll be good to… “ he isn’t sure how to finish the sentence. Good to what? Interact with people? Riko’s doing that plenty, going bar hopping with Allison, and his marketing buddies, Function? He’s always been high functioning. “play?” he settles on, finally. 

Riko regards him very carefully. 

“I said I’m not stepping on the court until you are.” he said. “I put it in the contract. I told Wymack. I told Ichirou. I told the ERC. Please tell me, that you aren’t the only goddamn person involved in this mess, who hasn’t realized that I meant it.” 

Kevin flinches. Riko had said it in the hospital, high on pain meds, guilt and panic, but Kevin hadn’t believed him. As if he would give up playing. As if he was sorry. As if he would give up his future, when he’d destroyed Kevin’s too keep it. 

“You know I might never… play again. You know that, right?” Kevin presses. 

Riko gives him a look that’s three parts arrogance, and one part wild, misplaced childish guilt. “Of course you are.” he snaps. “If you can breathe, you can play.”

“Riko - “ 

“I am not going to step on an exy court competitively without you.” he says, very slowly. 

The timer of the oven goes off. Kevin has never seen anyone test muffins so angrily. Riko hands him one on a plate. It’s ugly and misshapen, but a pleasant toasty color. 

“Eat your muffin,” Riko said coldly. “I’m done talking about this, and sure as hell hope you are too.”

Kevin sighed and bit into the hot pastry, burning himself. For now, he could only take Riko at his word.


End file.
